MUMBAI: Budget carrier SpiceJet plans to make more changes in its top management, add about nine more international routes to its network, reconfigure planes and completely overhaul its brand positioning with a focus on the corporate traveller, as it aims to fly out of its current turbulent phase of losses.

The airline aims to "create the best possible management team in the industry," Sanjiv Kapoor told ET in his first interview after joining as the airline's chief operating officer last October. To increase accountability, company has put in place a more efficient system of "upward feedback and is setting up stringent key performance indicators (for employees as well as the company), as well as close monitoring of customer feedback through various means," he said. He added, however, that any "headcount reductions will be done for improved efficiency only" and not to cut costs.

The airline has, in the last few weeks, appointed Kaneswaran Avili, ex-head of commercial at Tigerair, as its chief commercial director. It has also replaced its heads of information technology and revenue management with two other former AirAsia executives — Fares Azeem Kilpady and Sudhakar Kondisetty. It has appointed Paul Goodfellow, previously with GoAir, DVB Bank, and Lloyds TSB Bank, as its vice-president, aircraft financing and asset management, and Shilpa Bhatia, from the Sahara Group, as its senior vice-president, sales.

The airline re-appointed R Neelakantan as its chief financial officer and moved Anurag Jain from network planning and revenue management to network planning and strategy development.

Kapoor didn't elaborate on the other management changes in the offing. Interactions with Kapoor's colleagues at the airline showed the overhaul to an extent is inspired by Continental Airlines. One of Continental's strategies in turning around its bankrupt operations involved an overhaul of its top management. In a year, it replaced 82% of its 61 top officers with 20 new executives.Interestingly, the turnaround was a result of the initiatives of Gordon Bethune, its CEO and Greg Brenneman a turnaround specialist at Bain & Co, a position Kapoor had been in for years. Kapoor has also held key positions in Temasek Holdings and Northwest Airlines, to head the airline.

Originally from Kolkata, Kapoor graduated from US' Ivy League Dartmouth College in 1990 and then got his business management degree from The Wharton School.

Interestingly, the co-owner of IndiGo Rakesh Gangwal is also from Kolkata and went to Wharton, shared Kapoor himself.

But industry experts and executives at SpiceJet's peers said frequent management changes may not always send the right message to the shareholder.

Since 2008, SpiceJet has undergone two ownership changes — and at least the same number of shuffles in management.

"Only management reshuffles may not work until the airline sets its operations and products right," said an analyst who didn't want to be named. And, sure enough, a management rejig isn't the only point in Kapoor's agenda. With a renewed focus on the frugal corporate traveller, SpiceJet is reconfiguring its planes to include 7 rows of the socalled premium economy class seats, up from 3 currently, said Kapoor.

The airline is increasing the number of its flights between metro cities to 116 from 105. It has increased the number of flights at corporate timings to 61 from 38 and reduced the number of non-daily flights to less than half. It has already implemented other changes such as doubling the number of in-flight meal options. "Customers are already noticing the change," said Kapoor. In the new summer schedule, starting end-March, SpiceJet will add flights to four new routes namely Bagdogra-Nepal, Chandigarh-Dubai, Kolkata-Guangzhou and Kolkata-Hong Kong. It has also applied to the country's aviation regulator to connect six new cities — Amritsar, Lucknow, Pune, Mangalore and Calicut to Dubai. India and Dubai last week agreed to enhance bilateral seat agreements between the two countries by 11,000 weekly seats or 20%.

Kapoor's plan for "the new SpiceJet" comes at a time when the airline's performance is in line with the rest of the troubled Indian aviation industry and in stark contrast with its low-fare rivals that have weathered the downturn better. The airline posted its second straight quarter of loss of Rs 172.8 crore in October-December quarter this year. Its losses for the previous quarter stacked up to a record Rs 559.5 crore. Its annual loss in the last financial year was Rs 191 crore.

It has gained almost as much market share as its rivals —19.1% in December 2013 compared to 18.40% in January; IndiGo at 28.2% vs 27.40%; Go Air at 8.8% vs 7.6%. But it lagged in load factors.

SpiceJet has since the last two years taken the lead in announcing price cuts during the lean travel season, invariably starting a fare war. Experts have said discounts, while giving the airline higher volume, would hurt its bottom line. But Kapoor defended the strategy. "Sales have been revenue positive, and are used to fill seats that would otherwise go empty. It improves the average unit revenue and therefore helps in managing ever-increasing costs that we all face, thanks to rising fuel prices and weakening rupee," he said adding "this boosts unit revenues (RASK), which is the product of load factor and yield."

Kapoor also said the airline is trying to cut costs on every front.

"For example, earlier we had 18 arrivals after 11 pm, which triggers next day off for pilots and cabin crew due to flight duty and time limitation rules. The new schedule has only 6," he said which would reduce the number of hotel layovers.